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Sunday, January 10, 2010

Imbolc Art Card Exchange

I am pleased and nervous to announce an Art Card Exchange hosted by myself to celebrate the wonderful and often quiet holiday of Imbolc.

"Imbolc celebrates the first stirring of the seeds, deep within the womb of earth. Just as nature is beginning to waken under its covering of snow, the birds sing again, the seeds to put forth the first tiny shoots, so we can feel ourselves beginning to look ahead, after long months of forced inactivity, to the plans and projects we will work on bringing to fruition in the greening season that is nearly here." -Celebrating the Great Mother by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw

This holiday has many names and associations. In Ireland Brigid is celebrated. She is the Goddess of poetry, smithcraft and healing. I see her as a source for creativity, the stirring of a spark, the birth of an idea and the pulse of the energy that drives the urge to make something with your hands.

With that in mind I thought it would be fun to host an Art Card Exchange. What is that? Well, if you sign up you will receive a mailing address to send an Imbolc Greeting card to some one and you will receive one as well.

Now, I can hear the "not artsy types" objecting already but this is not about being a great artist but about making something small and fun in as little as an hour or you can work on it for weeks. You can paint, collage, draw, take a photograph, use embroidery or even crayons. You can use Brigid as your inspiration or seeds stirring, you can make it very personal or keep it to a theme around an element or symbol that reminds you of this season. The sky is the limit and this is all about sharing and having fun so please join in.

Here are the guidelines:

The cards need to be 5" X 7". They can fold like regular greeting cards or you can just decorate the front and back. You can use card stock or more delicate paper just keep in mind the weight in regards to mailing them.

Sign up will last until the 22nd of January and I will send out every one's card recipients on the 23rd. I recommend that everyone take into account shipping time and mail by the 27th at the latest so that they arrive in the first week of February since Imbolc is on the first or second of the month.

Please only sign up if you can mail internationally, I may try and accommodate specific requests to stay in country if you mention it to me but I can't guarantee them. And on that note please only sign up if you can complete this exchange. I understand that it is fun to sign up for things in the moment sometimes but I would hate to have someone waiting for a card that never arrives.

To sign up (oh, please I hope some of you will sign up :) just leave a comment here with your email address and your blog if you'd like me to list it in the sidebar list of participants. (If you are reading this on Facebook you can leave a comment there as well)

Grab yourself a button from the sidebar and if you are inspired please write a post and share the exchange with your readers and friends.

And once you get your card please post about it so that we can all share in the beauty and fun.

Okay everyone. I've put this intention out into the blog world and hope you find it inspiring. If anyone has questions or is struggling for ideas please email me and I'll do my best to help.stonegirl1177 AT yahoo DOT ca. I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone creates and I'm looking forward to making my card as well.